Page 49 of Mine This Time
“I’ve had just about enough of your attitude. Go find Mari.”
I stared at her for a long beat and then leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. “Have I been that bad?”
Lydia nodded slowly, the annoyance on her face shifting to sympathy. Which I hated.
“Yeah, that bad,” she countered, her tone dry as chalk.
“What makes you think it has anything to do with Mari?” I hedged, rather pointlessly, but denial was a great coping skill, and I was working it these days.
“Because you’ve been like this ever since she left. First, you were just a little off. Then, you got snappy.”
I shrugged. “Not much I can do about it because she’s gone and won’t reply to my texts.”
Lydia considered me for a moment and then rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, you’re saying vague, friendly things.”
“What the hell am I supposed to say?”
“For a man who had the blessing of being raised by two parents who adore each other, you can be really clueless,” Lydia said tartly as she shook her head slowly.
“What do you mean? I know I’m blessed.”
“I mean your parents. Your father still gets your mother flowers for every event of the year. She’s always getting him surprise gifts. I don’t mean you should be getting Mari gifts, but that they do things to take care of each other in both small and big ways. They make it clear how much they love each other. I don’t know how you feel about Mari, but it’s obvious to me that she’s the first woman I’ve seen who you actually care about.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I did and do, but she thinks it was a rebound, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Lydia rolled her eyes again. “Don’t be a typical man. At least let her know how you feel. It can’t get any worse. She’s already gone.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said just as Lydia’s phone rang in the waiting area to my office.
“Well, think fast.” She turned and pulled the door closed behind her.
“Damn, I do love shrimp and grits,” my father said as he leaned back and patted his stomach. Of late, he’d made a show of his aging, but he was still fit and didn’t even have a belly to pat. It was completely flat.
“Always good,” I agreed as I pushed my plate back and set my fork down.
My father cocked his head to the side. “What’s up, Nash? You look a bit down.”
I trusted my father completely, yet it still didn’t feel natural to talk about this. But I’d invited him to lunch for the sole purpose of asking his advice. With that in mind, I took a breath and forged ahead.
“How did you know?”
My father’s brows hitched up. “Know what? I think I’m missing part of the conversation here.”
“That Mom was the one for you?”
“I didn’t. Not at first. I knew I liked her an awful lot. I knew I missed her when she wasn’t around. There were other factors, but I’ll leave those to your imagination,” he offered with a wry chuckle.
“Dear God, Dad. Spare me the details of your sex life, please.”
My father shrugged. “You and your sister wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that, son.”
“Okay. Point taken.”
“Is this about your Mari?”
“My Mari? I don’t know if she’s mine.”
“Maybe not yet. But you two had that quality. Look, the fact you’re asking me about this should give you a good hard push toward your answer. When you’re wondering that much, that’s a pretty strong clue. Unless you’re wondering why you don’t like someone very much, that’s another major clue. Your mother and I just want you and your sister to be happy. We haven’t had to worry as much about you because you’re a man.”
